What to do with your stuff when you die ....

[Hoyt]

I'm goin to take my bow and one of them big ole single bevel Grizzly broadheads and shoot the devil in the ........

[36bound]

Interesting thread. As I can faintly see the "autumn" of my bowhunting career looming just over the next mountain, and because I have no children of my own, I too have had this thought cross my mind from time to time. Actually, I have no real concern over what becomes of the man made "stuff"- my bows, arrows, quivers, portable treestands, etc., etc. that's just STUFF.  My greater concern is for the "stuff" that was (originally) created by God- my mounts. Not that I have any more mounts than the next guy, but I do have a LIFETIME of mounts hung here and there throughout our home.

I once read Denny Sturgis Jr. refer to the mounts in his "man cave" as "treasures",  rather than "trophies". That description has always stuck with me. They are indeed "treasures" and I do hope that in my passing they will end up somewhere where they will be appreciated.

[Toklat1]

     Ok, I'm laughing over this whole post now. Actually my oldest son is getting all my Stuff cause my youngest son has no interest in it.

[IndianaBowman]

Treasures is a good term. I have a 22 year old daughter that doesn't hunt at all, but she already has dibbs on my 66" shoulder mount bull moose and my wife can get several thousand dollars for the 61" shoulder mount. I'm not certain what they'll do with the other 50+ mounts? My wife does tease me and says it is part of her retirement fund! I'm sure they can start a small natural history museum if they want. Kids and grandkids will get all they want.  I'm pretty sure I won't care too much where it goes. I'll be dead!

[36bound]

Indianabowman,

I recently had a discussion with my taxidermist regarding what he does to try to recoup his investment on the mounts that hunters occasionally balk at paying off once they are ready to be picked up (especially in our current Michigan economy). He informed me that, believe it or not, the abandoned mounts in his studio are most often sold  to non-hunters looking to decorate their rustic cabins and rural Michigan get-aways. He said that often he is able to sell them for what he charges (retail) for his taxidermy services. If that’s the case, with your 50+ mounts you must be looking EXTRA cute to your wife right about now.  

[Ken Taylor]

Geez! I'm glad I won't be around to sort out, figure out, share, give, donate, and/or sell all that stuff! Whew!

[Pete Patterson]

Simple: I've instructed my wife to re-marry a right hander with a 27 3/4" draw who can pull my 60 lb bows without working up to it.  And who doesn't complain about hand shock from Hill bows.  She'll let you know when the time comes.

[Stone Knife]

I'm leaving all my stuff to my family to do with it as they please. After all they are just material things and are meaningless to their former owner after death. I had a stark reminder of that today when I drove past the house of a young man who recently died, all his clothes were out for the garbage man.

[Ground Hunter]

Lord if my wife ever figured out all the money I've spend - I better be dead!!  H

[highPlains]

A customer brought in all of his father's hunting stuff for us to sell for him after his father passed away. The son never got into traditional archery, and it was really hard to sit there and put a price tag on all of his Dad's things. He had some very neat bows, old quivers, and all sorts of old and really cool broadheads. You could tell that traditional archery was a large part of his life. I cannot imagine going through my Dad's stuff when he is gone.

We have sold several bow collections for widows. That is always tough...

I killed a turkey out of the blind of a friend's father who had passed. It was a special turkey, even though I never knew the man who once owned the blind I was hunting out of.

Not a fun topic to talk about! What were you thinking elkken!?